Created in response to the September 11 attacks, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a broad federal agency encompassing 22 separate agencies in a single organization. The Department of Homeland Security is a civilian and domestic counterpart to the Department of Defense and is responsible for preparing for and preventing domestic emergencies, including terrorism. With more than 200,000 employees, DHS is the third-largest Cabinet department. EFF has engaged in many FOIA requests and lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security and its various child agencies, which include the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration Customs Enforcement, and others.

FOIA Documents

On January 23rd, 2018, EFF and other civil liberties and privacy advocates met with US Customs and Border Protections (CBP) to discuss our ongoing concerns with the biometric data collection programs, facial recognition programs and searches of digital devices developed by CBP. Below...